This time, it's reportedly Daniel Osbourne who catches Carla's eye - leaving his brother Peter unsettled when he hears what the pair have been up to.

Photo credit: ITV

Long-term viewers will know that Peter and Carla share a long and complicated history – making her latest fling all the more controversial.

Kate Oates recently teased a surprise new romance for Daniel, saying: "She's unexpected. I think that people will go, 'Oh! That's a slightly crazy pairing!' I don't want to give too much away.

"It's one of those slightly unusual dynamics where, if you think about it, you can see what each of them is getting out of the relationship, but on paper you might think, 'Oh, that's a surprise'.

"But I would encourage the viewers who are wrong-footed by it, in a way that they are uncomfortable with it, to think about what each character might be getting out of this little fling and it will hopefully make more sense."

Photo credit: ITV

Alison also teased a shock love interest for Carla upon her Christmas comeback - teasing that it could all be part of a wider agenda.

"There is someone she has a little fling with, but she is a bit like a cat with a mouse playing with him", she said.

"It's something to do, it's not a big romance, and she also has another agenda for setting her sights on this person."